Blessed are they that do his commandments
Either the commandments of God, ( Revelation
12:17 ) ( 14:12 )
the precepts of the moral law, which are the whole duty of man;
which are done either legally in order to obtain life, and then
they must be perfectly done, which no man can do; hence none
live, and are justified by the deeds of it, and consequently are
not blessed, but cursed; or evangelically, when they are done in
the strength of Christ, from love to God, in the exercise of
faith upon him, with a view to his glory, and without dependence
on them, acknowledging the imperfection of them, and looking unto
Jesus for righteousness and life, in whom such find both, and so
are blessed persons: or else the commandments of Jesus are
intended, who is speaking in the context, ( Revelation
22:12 Revelation
22:13 Revelation
22:16 ) and is speaking of himself, and his, as the angel
does in ( Revelation
22:6 ) Christ's commandments are his new commandment of love,
and the ordinances of baptism, and the Lord's supper; which are
to be observed in the same evangelical manner as the commandments
of God, and to be kept exactly as they are delivered, without any
alteration, addition, or diminution; and they are to be attended
to immediately, and without delay; and such as regard them in a
right way and manner are blessed; they have much pleasure and
delight in the observance of them; these commandments are not
grievous, especially when they have the presence of Christ, the
discoveries of his love, and are under the gracious influences of
his Spirit: or it may be rather the commandments in this book are
designed, for it may be rendered, "that do its commandments";
keep the sayings of this book, as in ( Revelation
22:7 ) such as relate to the worship of God, and forbid the
worship of the beast, which caution against idolatry, and exhort
to come out of Babylon, and direct to follow the Lamb, and charge
not to add or take from anything written in this prophecy; and
such persons as keep the words of it are pronounced blessed, (
Revelation 1:3 ) . The
Alexandrian copy reads, "that wash their garments"; and so the
Ethiopic version, and also the Vulgate Latin, which adds, "in the
blood of the Lamb", agreeably to ( Revelation
7:13 ) and such whose persons and garments are washed in the
blood of Christ are blessed indeed; they are justified by it,
pardoned through it, and both they and their services are
accepted on account of it. The instances of their happiness
follow, that they may have right to the tree of
life;
or "power over the tree of life"; that is, Christ, not of
government over him, but of enjoyment of him; a liberty of eating
of the fruit of this tree, having interest in it, and so a right
to partake of it; which right, or liberty, is not obtained by
obedience to the commands of God, or Christ, or of this book, for
this is what is due to God, and obligatory on men; and which,
when done, is but their duty, and can merit nothing; though a
cheerful and evangelical obedience to the divine will makes such
appear to have a right to such a privilege, as the disciples of
Christ are not made so, but appear to be such by bringing forth
fruit, ( John 15:8
) but to have interest in Christ, the tree of life, and a right,
power, and liberty to eat thereof, is a free grace gift, (
Revelation 2:7 ) and
happy are those who enjoy such a privilege! ( Proverbs
3:18 ) ( Song of
Solomon 2:3 ) . And may enter in through the gates into
the city:
the Ethiopic version reads, "into this holy city": and which
intends not entrance into a particular church of Christ, the way
into which is faith in Christ, and a profession of it, and
submission to the ordinance of baptism; nor entrance into heaven,
which, as a Gospel church, is often called a city, and into which
none shall enter, but such who are justified by the righteousness
of Christ, and are regenerated by his Spirit, the gates of it are
Christ and his grace; but the holy city, the new Jerusalem, is
meant, and entrance into that, which is so largely described in
the preceding chapter, and particularly its gates; and they must
be happy persons, indeed, who enter there; and their right to it
is from, and lies in Christ, his blood, righteousness, and grace,
under a sense of which they yield a ready obedience to his will,
which makes their right to appear. Frequent mention is made of
the gates of this city in the book of Zohar; and, says R. Isaac
F9,
``when the soul (yrevb onkl hkwz) , "is fit" (or worthy, or has a right) "to enter through the gates of Jerusalem" that is above, Michael the great prince goes with it, who anticipates for it the peace of the ministering angels, wondering at him, and inquiring concerning it, saying, "who is this that comes out of the wilderness" ( Song of Solomon 3:6 ) .''